was about to stand up, but I stayed. “Hmm?”
“Can we go to the cabin tomorrow?”
“It’s cold…not a lot to do there when it’s not warm.”
He shrugged. “We haven’t been in a while.”
It had been projected to snow, but the weather forecast had changed. Derek had never seen the snow because we didn’t get any in California. Cleo would love to take the trip because she loved that place too. “Sure.”
He smiled. “Really?”
“Yeah.” It was the least I could do after the shitty Thanksgiving we’d had. “But you better get to sleep fast. We’re gonna leave early in the morning.”
“Okay.” He closed his eyes and went still, like he was already asleep.
I chuckled then kissed him on the forehead again before I left his bedroom and moved to the other side of the condo to mine. I closed the bedroom door behind me, my room dark, the bedding hugging her curves under the sheets. She was still, like she was already asleep.
I moved to my side of the bed and stripped off the long-sleeved sweater, the t-shirt underneath, and then my shoes and jeans. It was nice to get the weight off, to remove all my clothes and return to my usual comfort. I dropped my boxers and got into bed beside her.
She opened her eyes and looked at me, like she was still awake, but partially drifting off. “How’d it go?”
“I told him his mother and I probably wouldn’t be in the same room anymore. He seemed to understand.”
Her hand moved under the sheets to my chest, her soft fingertips gliding over my hard body.
“He understands she makes me unhappy…and he wants me to be happy.”
“He’s such a sweet boy.”
“I know he is.” It was a privilege to be his father. “I don’t want him to hate her, but I suspect that might be inevitable someday based on the way she is. Deep down, I know I don’t like anything about her on a human level, and Derek is too young and innocent to feel that way now, but he will when he’s older. I won’t be able to protect her, preserve her reputation. So maybe I need to stop trying.”
“I think you need to move on and live your life, Deacon. You’ve been trying so hard to be a perfect family, and you just can’t force something that’s not meant to happen. Derek still has good role models, like you as a father, your mother as a woman…”
“And you.”
She didn’t agree verbally, but her eyes softened. “He’ll be alright. You’ve done enough. It’s time to let go.”
“Yeah…I think so too.”
“And that video is vicious. She has nothing over your head anymore.”
The chains were off my wrists and ankles. I didn’t have to entertain her manipulation and her threats. “That was smart thinking.”
“I just seized the opportunity.”
I was pissed Valerie had grabbed Derek like that, and sometimes I worried about how she treated him, but since Derek was so well behaved, I doubted there was any reason to use force. I never had to. He might be the victim of neglect, which was a form of abuse, but he was so intelligent that he could entertain himself. And he always had me, just a short elevator ride away. “He wants to go to the cabin tomorrow.”
She smiled. “Of course he does. What did you say?”
“Yes.”
“Yay. I’m so glad our office is closed for the holiday.” She scooted closer to me, tucking her leg between mine.
“He’s never seen the snow.”
“Aww. What about you?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any snow gear for him?”
“No, actually.”
“I’ll take care of it in the morning.”
“On Black Friday?” I asked in surprise.
“Yeah. But I know people. Don’t worry about it.” She scooted closer to me, her lips resting against my neck. Her hand moved down my chest to my hip, and she took a breath when she realized I was naked.
It’d been a long time since we’d been together, and when I came to bed, I already knew what I wanted. I’d been in a bad mood all week, so I’d had no desire, but not having her had probably made my mood worse. It was like getting sucked into a black hole. Now that the weight was off my shoulders, I felt liberated.
I rolled her to her back, my hand sliding over her stomach to her hip so I could grab the lace of her panties. I pulled them down as I looked into her eyes, seeing the way her lips parted instantly, like she was ready for